The Turkish military has deployed in Istanbul and Ankara, and the government has apparently blocked social media in response to what is being reported as an attempted coup.
Turkey Blocks, a Twitter account that regularly checks if sites are being blocked in the country, reported at 11:04 PM Istanbul time that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were all unresponsive, though Instagram and Vimeo remained available.
Confirmed: Twitter, Facebook & YouTube blocked in #Turkey at 10:50PM after apparent military uprising in #Turkeypic.twitter.com/J9ER5yOGYP
— Turkey Blocks (@TurkeyBlocks) July 15, 2016
Some residents of Turkey appear to be able to get online, likely via a VPN or some other anonymizing service; anyone affected might want to try Tor Browser (for Windows and Mac OS) or Orbot (for Android). Many are publishing images of military occupation of important landmarks like bridges, and one tweet shows what appears to be a fighter jet flying very low over Ankara. Tanks have been photographed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.
Turkish soldiers block both bridges on the Bosphorus in Istanbul and jets flying low in Ankara. Reason not clear yet pic.twitter.com/tMG7KKYvGh
— Selin Girit (@selingirit) July 15, 2016
Ankara’daki jetler pic.twitter.com/iCTd5ARKVw
— Hazal Koptagel (@HazalKoptagel) July 15, 2016
Video of a helicopter opening fire in Turkey via @Havrekhshaetapic.twitter.com/KcdNIR1Lm4
— BM-21 GRAD (@bm21_grad) July 15, 2016
The Associated Press reports that the Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, has confirmed that there has been a coup attempt by a group within Turkey’s military. Fighting is apparently ongoing. President Erdoğan appeared on Turkish television via Facetime to address the coup.
#Turkey‘s President appears on local TV via FaceTime, says “attempted uprising” will be given necessary response https://t.co/tFZIRQMB4j
— The Express Tribune (@etribune) July 15, 2016
The following statement from the group was reportedly read on local television:
Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and the general security that was damaged. All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue.
Whether it is true is unclear.
The Telegraph is updating live.
This story is developing; we will continue to update it as more information becomes available.